PREVIEW: Canada v Romania

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Aaron Carpenter is set to become Canada's all-time caps leader as he will play in his 77th test match Saturday against Romania.

Carpenter, who will start at No.8, will break Al Charron’s record of 76 test caps that has lasted nearly 15 years. Carpenter tied the record last weekend against Georgia in Calgary.

"Al Charron is an absolute legend so just to be mentioned in the same breath as him is huge for me," Carpenter said. "Just to be around this record is awesome but that’s an individual thing as we’re looking to be part of the team that wins Saturday.

"I just want to get on the pitch and get it done."

Carpenter made his test debut in 2005 and has played in three World Cups. His 16 test tries are the fourth most in Canadian history.

Canada will be captained by Brett Beukeboom and DTH van der Merwe Saturday while Tyler Ardron makes his first appearance in a Canadian jersey since the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

Anthony Luca, who made his test debut last Saturday against Georgia, will make his first test start in the front alongside Ray Barkwill and Matt Tierney.

Beukeboom will be joined by Evan Olmstead at lock with Ardron and Matt Heaton at flank.

Gordon McRorie starts at scrumhalf with Connor Braid at flyhalf. Sean Duke and van der Merwe will man the wings with Nick Blevins and Conor Trainor at centre. Ciaran Hearn starts at fullback.

There is also an opportunity for Ryan Ackerman to make his test debut for Canada as he is named as a replacement.

"Romania are a tough team," head coach Mark Anscombe said. "They've got big men and are a very strong team and their form of late has been very good. We’ve got a big task ahead of us but one we’re looking forward to."

Canada is two-five all-time against Romania and hasn't beaten them since the 1995 Rugby World Cup.

Canada is coming off of a 13-0 loss to Georgia in Calgary last weekend. Saturday’s game is their final tune-up before they begin a two-game 2019 Rugby World Cup qualifying series against the USA on June 24 in Hamilton, Ontario. The second leg is July 1 in San Diego.

Date: Saturday, June 17Venue: Ellerslie Rugby Park, EdmontonKick-off: 15:00 local (21:00 GMT; 00.00 Romania Time, Sunday, June 18)Expected weather: It will be partly cloudly with a high of 20 and a low of 9.Referee: Shuhei Kubo (Japan)Assistant Referees: Andrew Brace (Ireland), Ben Whitehouse (Wales)

Canada defeated by Romania in Edmonton

Sun, 18 Jun 2017 08:14

INTERNATIONAL REPORT: Canada were beaten 9-25 by Romania in Edmonton on Saturday in their final game before their 2019 World Cup qualifying series.

Canada got three penalties from Gordon McRorie but also had two tries disallowed in a fierce contest that saw a red card and two yellows.

"I thought it was a very poor performance. We didn't do anything we set out to do and that's disappointing. We played poorly against 14 men today but credit to them. They showed spirit and played with more energy than we did," head coach Mark Anscombe said.

Saturday's game also featured an historic moment as Aaron Carpenter became Canada's all-time try scoring leader with 77, passing Al Charron's previous record.

"I respect Al so much and to finally beat his record is huge for me. But I am glad it's over and can now focus on playing more games," Carpenter said.

It was a promising start for Canada as they thought they had scored in the corner through co-captain DTH van der Merwe but after a TMO review, it was deemed van der Merwe was just out of play.

Canada made the pressure count though as McRorie kicked his side ahead 3-0 in the 12th minute but Romania stormed back to grab the first try of the game through Viorel Lucaci after Johannes van Heerden had burst through the game line.

However, the 23rd minute saw a red card for Romania's Otar Turashvili after punching Canada's Tyler Ardron. On the same play, Ardron saw yellow. From the ensuing penalty, McRorie cut the Romania lead to 7-6, a lead the visitors would take into the break.

It was an exceptional start to the second half for Romania as they scored less than a minute in through Fonovai Tangimana before McRorie hit back with another penalty to make it 14-9.

Florin Vlaicu's penalty made it 17-9 before controversy struck again. Van der Merwe seemed to win a high ball from a cross-field kick and a few phases later Ardron had scored for Canada. But after another TMO review, the try was ruled out and van der Merwe was sent to the sin bin for contesting a high ball and making contact above the shoulders.

"We were told a fair contest in the air, they wont be sending people off. That was a fair contest and as soon as you saw him miss the ball he pulled out. How that is a yellow card is beyond me and that was the turning point," Anscombe said.

Tangimana would grab his second try of the day in the 62nd minute before a late Vlaicu penalty sealed the deal.

"If we want to give ourselves a chance to beat the USA, we've got to stick to our plan and execute better. We have to be a lot more accurate in what we do and we're pretty poor at the moment," he added.

Canada returns to action against the USA in the first leg of its 2019 World Cup qualifier at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton.